Extreme temperatures can lead directly to loss of life, while climate-related disturbances in ecological systems, such as changes in the range of infective parasites, can indirectly impact the incidence of serious infectious diseases.
In addition, warm temperatures can increase air and water pollution, which in turn harm human health.
Human health is strongly affected by social, political, economic, environmental and technological factors, including urbanization, affluence, scientific developments, individual behavior and individual vulnerability (e.g., genetic makeup, nutritional status, emotional well-being, age, gender and economic status).
The extent and nature of climate change impacts on human health vary by region, by relative vulnerability of population groups, by the extent and duration of exposure to climate change itself and by society’s ability to adapt to or cope with the change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change held in 2007 concluded that human beings are exposed to climate change through changing weather patterns.
For example, more intense and frequent extreme events and indirectly through changes in water, air, food quality and quantity, ecosystems, agriculture, and economy.
At this early stage the effects are small but are projected to progressively increase in all countries and regions.
Given the complexity of factors that influence human health, assessing health impacts related to climate change poses a difficult challenge.
Furthermore, climate change is expected to bring a few benefits to health, including fewer deaths due to exposure to cold.
Nonetheless, it was found out that globally, negative climate-related health impacts are expected to outweigh positive health impacts during this century.
But the question remained what are the potential human health effects of global environmental change, and what climate, socioeconomic, and environmental information is needed to assess the cumulative risk to health in the region?
Climate-sensitive diseases
Climate change may increase the risk of some infectious diseases, particularly those diseases that appear in warm areas and are spread by mosquitoes and other insects.These "vector-borne" diseases include malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis.
Also, algal blooms could occur more frequently as temperatures warm — particularly in areas with polluted waters — in which case diseases such as cholera that tend to accompany algal blooms could become more frequent.
The neighboring country of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has reported cholera cases in recent months.
Higher temperatures, in combination with favorable rainfall patterns, could prolong disease transmission seasons in some locations where certain diseases already exist.
In other locations, climate change will decrease transmission via reductions in rainfall or temperatures that are too high for transmission.
For example, temperature and humidity levels must be sufficient for certain disease-carrying vectors, such as ticks that carry Lyme disease, to thrive.
And climate change could push temperature and humidity levels either towards or away from optimum conditions for the survival rate of ticks.
For a country like change, the increase humidity meaning more dusts and continuous heavy rain had led to sickness such as influenza and pneumonia.
Malaria is one of the killer diseases affecting local Solomon Islanders because of its tropical location.
After few days of heavy rain, it provided a suitable breeding ground for mosquitoes which can help spread malaria.
Extreme conditions such as cyclones and heavy flooding have been attributed to the changing climate change, scientists have said.
And during these disasters, locals experienced lack of proper drinking water, shortage of food and poor medical services.
These in a way have been problems connected to climate change.
As the climate and environment changes, we see things beginning to change.
I believed as the country continue to go through changes in its environmental setting and climate landscape more health issues may pop up.
One of the recent issues have also associated the spread of HIV/AIDS to climate change.
And this may be true because when people are displaced due to rising sea level or natural diseases and become refugee in another people girls and women or even young are vulnerable to acquiring sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS.
For Solomon Islands this is an issue which the leaders of this nation, more so the soon to be elected leaders to take note of.
These are issues which are going to hit hard on the family units in this country and it must be properly addressed.
By MOFFAT MAMU
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